Syria's new president appears to receive a warm welcome in former Assad strongholds 

Syria's new president Ahmed al-Sharaa appeared to receive a hero's welcome in Latakia, once the stronghold of the Al-Assad family.

Waving from the sunroof of a black vehicle surrounded by a large, cheering crowd, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa appeared in a video to receive something of a hero's welcome in his first visit to Latakia, once the stronghold of the Assad family whose brutal regime he helped topple just more than two months ago.

Later that Sunday, Sharaa visited Tartus, another Assad stronghold about 50 miles south along the Mediterranean Sea, where video showed him waving from a balcony as hundreds of people cheered below.

The two videos, shared on social media and verified by NBC News, emerged as Sharaa's government touted a successful visit to both port cities, with experts describing the scenes as marking a pivotal moment in the rebel leader's campaign to prove he can deliver on his promise to build a more unified Syria.

"After spending time across Syria, Sharaa’s celebrity-like status was genuinely palpable — across ethnic, religious & gender communities," Charles Lister, a senior fellow and head of the Syria Initiative at the Middle East Institute, said in a post on X on Sunday, reacting to video of Sharaa's reception.

“This is an outpouring of goodwill and a sense of optimism in what he may be able to deliver for the country,” Burcu Ozcelik, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank, told NBC News on Monday. But, she also cautioned that these jubilant scenes were likely "carefully choreographed to capture the enthusiasm that he has summoned across the country, even in ex-regime strongholds."

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/syrias-rebel-leader-sharaa-assad-strongholds-rcna192436

---